In 0 ABY, Heiff was called to the Ithorian herdshipTafanda Bay, on Ithor, to extract information from a group of Ithorian technicians pertaining to the operation of the mammoth craft. After killing twelve of the Ithorians, Heiff was thrust into the middle of a ship-wide uprising. Battling a Rebel agent, Heiff was eventually brutally wounded and arrested by a large group of the normally-peaceful Ithorians.

Despite being amongst arbiters of massacres and the like, Heiff was considered one of the most fearsome entities in the entire Galactic Empire. In 0 ABY, he was dispatched to the Tafanda Bay, a herdship on Ithor. The officer in charge of the occupied Tafanda Bay, GeneralOlan Dewes, had mentioned in a report that the Ithorian technicians had failed to reveal vital details about the ship, and so the Empire saw fit to dispatch Heiff to encourage them.[1]

Prior to his arrival, a group of Rebels had landed on Ithor, claiming to have been ferrying Heiff himself. Although was aware of this, Heiff was unconcerned, and so went about his work. Setting up in the Tafanda Bay's makeshift prisons, Heiff went through prisoners at a rapid rate, mauling them with his long claws in an attempt to learn more about the herdship. His work made everyone on the Tafanda Bay uncomfortable, as the stereo screams of the technicians echoed throughout the herdship's corridors. He had killed approximately twelve of his prisoners by the time an uprising broke out on the Tafanda Bay. Too immersed in his work to care, Heiff and his guards were eventually attacked by a Rebel agent and a group of Ithorians.[1]

Turning the tables, Heiff let his stormtrooper escort take the brunt of the attack, while he hid and deactivated the lights in the room. Due to his natural instincts, he was able to detect the smell of his adversaries. While distracting the Rebel with the remainder of his guard, Heiff pounced on his opponent, attacking with his oversized claws. The struggling Rebel, evading Heiff, desperately released all the Ithorian prisoners, forcing Heiff to feign a retreat. Doubling back to finish off the Rebel, he was intercepted mid-leap by his adversary's blaster bolt. Gravely wounded, he begged to be finished off, but the Rebel refused, handing him over to Ithorian custody to be tried and sentenced.[1]

Sir Vengnar Heiff took a great deal of pleasure from his work, although he was exceptionally carefree towards the health of his victims. He would use his own anatomy instead of implements to beat the truth out of the subject, tearing them apart with his large claws. He was described as a butcher by some, being both feared and looked upon with disdain by the Imperial community. Some, such as General Dewes, believed that Heiff would go through torturing the supply of Ithorian prisoners before being able to extract the needed information.[1]

Heiff wore no clothes, save for a utility belt and a large, flowing red cape. A reptilian lizard-man hailing from an icy planet, he was cold-blooded, and able to use a heightened sense of smell to detect his prey. His claws were considered gargantuan, and were used liberally in the Torturer's line of work to both maim and kill his victims.[1] Heiff also had green skin.[3]